Weve developed numerous resources to help family historians. A variety of workshops, laundry and outbuildings stood to the rear. You could only enter a workhouse if you were destitute. Visit its 50acre site and discover the historic workhouse, museum of life on the land, traditional farm with rare breed animals and beautiful, unspoilt grounds. Pictured is a adam clarke 6 and brother james in the. The workhouse system evolved in the 17th century, allowing parishes to reduce the cost to ratepayers of providing poor relief.
Gressenhall farm and workhouse, gressenhall, dereham, norfolk. Buy tickets to our museums and events the easy way, with discounts if you book online at art tickets. It is extremely important to me that the book is historically accurate. Forties village at war, gressenhall farm and workhouse. The workhouse comprised an entrance range which may have been single storey, with a tshaped main block having forward projections in each wing.
Mitford and launditch union board of guardians was replaced by guardians committee no. Mitford and launditch, norfolk bibliography up to 1834. A comprehensive history of the workhouse by peter higginbotham. We also recommend that animals are not left in locked cars.
Workhouses were a wellknown feature of nineteenth century britain immortalised in the novels of charles dickens. Haunted history gressenhall farm and workhouse ghost. A local act of 1775 established the mitford and launditch hundreds incorporation. There are lots of different ways to visit gressenhall farm and workhouse. I was stuck at work with an hour to kill and found this book that someone had left behind. Mar 19, 2018 photograph of loddon and clavering union workhouse. Gressenhall farm and workhouse is a great rural life museum, which includes history on the family and workhouse from 1777 to 1948, which gives an insight to tough work and life from the people who lived and worked there. Real stories from gressenhall farm and workhouse inspire community choral project. For more information on isabelles forthcoming book and events visit. Dennis hill, who rebuilt the rectory house, about 1808. Please check the venues website for the latest details. With a history dating back to 1777 gressenhall workhouse has so many different areas to take part in a ghost hunting event, the dungeon, the old chapel, the great hall to ghost hunt in the school room, you can also ghost hunt in the boardroom and many more areas to attempt spirit communication at the gressenhall workhouse. Gressenhall farm and workhouse is a truly unique museum. The first authoritative figure for numbers of workhouses comes in the next century from the abstract of returns made by the overseers of the poor, which was drawn up following a government survey in 1776.
Norwich, norfolk industrial archaeology society nias, in nias journal vol. Please note we do not allow dogs, other than assistance dogs, on site. Gressenhall farm and workhouse is feeling excited at gressenhall farm and workhouse. Book for a special school event read on to discover our exciting programme of led events. Guide to gressenhall, norfolk ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Inspired by the norfolk collections centre isabelle wrote a series of childrens stories. The new union took over the existing gressenhall workhouse which was. The historical description of the landmark is factual but horrific.
Here paupers would work under quite a strict regime in return for accommodation. I visited with a friend gressenhall farm and workhouse, last thursday march 12th, my friend got in free, because i have got health issues, we enjoyed looking around many parts of the museum, including the museum of norfolk life, the engineering galleries, the rural life. These two twister boards are both in the gressenhall farm and workhouse museum collection and are currently on display as part of the beers and brewing. Full programme of speakers including lunch and free entry to gressenhall farm and workhouse. Cancelled discover your family history drop in session. Gressenhall farm and workhouse norfolk history tracy. A history of the buildings and the people who lived and worked in them by stephen pope isbn. Gressenhall, norfolk genealogy genealogy familysearch wiki.
This new title, launched at the norfolk history fair on 29th may 2006 at gressenhall, tells the story of the house of industry and the workhouse from its establishment in 1774 to the present day, when it is now the museum of norfolk life. Real stories from gressenhall farm and workhouse inspire. In this piece, isabelle explains the inspiration behind the norfolk story book, how she came to be on site at gressenhall and her fascination with workhouse history. Stories of the workhouse, gressenhall farm and workhouse tours on thursday 4 june, 18 june, 2 july and 16 july 2. Decided to visit this attraction as it was near to where we are staying in a holiday rental. Cancelled inside gressenhalls collections is temporarily closed until further notice. I believe he did his research and his accounts in this book are factual, but i also believe that some of the more gruesome facts of the workhouse have been overlooked or hidden from the author. Bibliography more than oliver twist the workhouse network. Gressenhall farm and workhouse dereham 2020 all you need. Gressenhall farm and workhouse gressenhall, dereham, norfolk, nr20 4dr dereham, norfolk rated 4. Gressenhall farm and workhouse, gressenhall, dereham. Over the past couple of weeks, i have had the pleasure of exploring and engaging with gressenhall farm and workhouse as part of my work placement for the princes trust team programme. Gressenhall is a civil parish in the english county of norfolk.
Telling the real stories of the people who lived and worked in the workhouse. The museum has researched the history of the workhouse building and has compiled a searchable database of inmates who lived in the mitford and launditch union workhouse at gressenhall. The house of industry belonging to the old incorporation, built at gressenhall in 17761777, was repaired and altered in 1836 to become the new union workhouse. The reality of death in the workhouse event at gressenhall. Gressenhall, a village and parish on the litcham road, 3 miles n. Family history, gressenhall farm and workhouse receive assisted access to our onsite records and discover your family and local workhouse history. Gressenhall farm and workhouse museum of norfolk life. Search genuki norfolk for a name or a place or a topic. Find out how to preserve your own family history records. Summer holiday hooray for harvest event at gressenhall.
The parish of great bittering is now divided between gressenhall and beetley, and the settlement, which has an obscure history, is now known as bittering street. It begins with the meeting at the george in dereham in 1774 which called for a house of industry and takes the story through to the modern day, with gressenhall farm and workhouse is the museum of norfolk life. Like gressenhall it started as a house of industry. Summer holiday, gressenhall farm and workhouse take a cart ride around the farm and learn about what is growing in our fields. With an outstanding selection, easytouse search tools and descriptive hotel profiles, youll find gressenhall farm and workhouse hotel deals in a wink.
The mardlers rest cafe serves a wide range of hot and cold snacks and meals, many of them homemade. Gressenhall farm and workhouse is the history of the buildings and the people who lived and worked in them. This building was erected in 1871 to house workhouse inmates with infectious diseases. The story of gressenhall methodist church, or gods cottage. Riots broke out and inmates tried to set fire to the building when it became a union workhouse in 1836.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. History of gressenhall, in breckland and norfolk map and. Having toured museums in the past, i have always been intrigued by the extent of time and effort that must be invested by individuals behind the scenes. The days consisted of long, arduous tasks such as picking oakum and breaking stones. Residents of mitford and launditch union workhouse. Online images of some poor law registers, admissions books etc. Mitford and launditch union workhouse was in this parish. Asylums in everything but this section describes the workhouses built after the 1834 poor law amendment act, designed to punish the workshy with their harsh regime, but which increasingly housed the mentally ill and the disabled.
The village stands near a branch of the river wensum, and 3 miles nw from east dereham station on the g. Find out how the victorian workhouse dealt with the death of inmates. Posted in 2016 voices from the workhouse and tagged archive, collaborate, create, creative writing, gressenhall, museum, workhouse, write on august 19, 2016 by gressenhall farm and workhouse. Includes the mitford and launditch union at gressenhall, the depwade union at pulham market, and the loddon and clavering union at heckingham. The site is big and the museum is a mixture of workhouse history and norfolk history. Find out what life was like under the regime of the workhouse clock, what food was served and the different classes of inmates.
Once upon a time childrens book exhibition at gressenhall. I visited with a friend gressenhall farm and workhouse, last thursday march 12th, my friend got in free, because i have got health issues, we enjoyed looking around many parts of the museum, including the museum of norfolk life, the. Library and archive at gressenhall norfolk museums. Friends of gressenhall is a small charity with a great heart, formed in 1975 to support the work of the gressenhall farm and workhouse, just north of dereham, in the heart of norfolk. On wednesday 20 th i entertained 30 members of the loddon and district local history group with a voices form the workhouse talk. Speakers include archivists, curators and family history specialists from norfolk record office, the national archives and gressenhall farm and workhouse. Higginbotham seems to leave out the horrific aspects of the workhouse. Orbitz makes it easy to find the best gressenhall farm and workhouse hotel deals for your trip. In 1777 a house of industry nher 2819 was built on an area of former common land in the west of the parish. Tour dates friday march, 3 april, 1 may, 5 june, 3 july, 7 august, 4 september, 2 october 2020. Relax in delightful gardens or take a stroll round the working farm with its rare breed animals.
May 29, 2006 gressenhall farm and workhouse a history of the buildings and the people who lived and worked there. The main workhouse buildings date from the late 18th century, whilst the chapel and other buildings in the complex date from the 19th. The workhouse accommodated an average of about 450 inmates but reached a high. Children in the workhouse will explore what it was like for a child to be an inmate at gressenhall farm and workhouse museum, inspired by real life stories. A high boundary wall was erected together with internal dividing walls to create separate yards for the different classes of inmates. Cancelled inside gressenhalls collections event at. Since april schools and community groups in norfolk have been working on an ambitious choral and creative writing project inspired by one of norfolks best loved museums. Gressenhall farm and workhouse is holding a cocurated exhibition called once upon a time. A record of the monumental inscriptions in the church and churchyard of st mary, gressenhall, with plan. Jun 05, 2003 before reading this book i had no prior knowledge of the workhouse system or any real interest in it. A guide to tracing relatives in the gressenhall workhouse pdf 33kb east anglian workhouses pdf 34kb gressenhall workhouse sources for inmate names pdf 31kb inmates of mitford and launditch workhouse gressenhall pdf 343kb library resources. Principally, the imposing looking building was designed to keep people out. Whats new in genuki norfolk gressenhall is about 3 miles n.
If you have an interest in a specific person, the dates will help you refer to the book and read about what gressenhall was like at that time. The main buildings of the gressenhall workhouse were built in 1777 when it was. Gressenhall see norfolk parish links for more information about this parish. Gressenhall farm and workhouse a history of the buildings and the people who lived and worked there. The gressenhall farm and workhouse museum is located here, and a watermill dating from 1847. Records have been collated from transcripts of original material held at the norfolk records office, the national archives and directly from the general public who are researching their own family histories. Gressenhall farm and workhouse dereham 2020 all you. Hear true stories of the people who lived and died at gressenhall, take a solemn visit to the mass grave and view objects relating to their stories. Discover the history of the buildings and land at gressenhall farm and workhouse. Workhouse history masterclass gressenhall farm and workhouse. View all restaurants near gressenhall farm and workhouse on tripadvisor.
Discover the history of the workhouse and hear the fascinating story of the people who lived there. My first childrens book is inspired by objects in norfolk collections centre, situated on the same site as gressenhall farm and workhouse museum. The new union took over the existing gressenhall workhouse which was adapted to the requirements of the 1834 poor law act. Our knowledgeable team will also be able to assist you with researching your own ancestral past. A collegiate chapel was founded here, in the time of henry iii. In 1776, the incorporation purchased the 62acre chapel farm in gressenhall and in the summer of that year began the building of a house of industry. Voices from the workhouse gressenhall farm and workhouse. To aid your research for the more than oliver twist project, we have provided a selection of books related to the poor law, workhouse history and the welfare state that may be available at public libraries across the country.
They were especially interested to hear about the history of their local workhouse loddon and clavering. Gressenhall, norfolk genealogy heraldry and history. At gressenhall workhouse, norfolk, there are said to be strange wailing, moaning noises echoing through the corridors at night. Isabelle king on the norfolk story book following the completion of the norfolk story book this summer 2016, isabelle undertook a writer in residence position at gressenhall farm and workhouse to work on a potential second childrens book children of the workhouse. Visit the norfolk heritage explore and study the archaeological record for gressenhall.